but i have to say it is wonderful to see all of you. >> it sounds and looks like you and your families have been staying healthy. >> oh, i have a way i've been staying healthy, dr. sanjay. look. does rosita have a booboo? >> oh, no. this is for my covid vaccine. my mommy and my poppy took me to get it this morning. >> rosita, that is great. getting the covid vaccine is a great way to stay healthy. >> see my mommy and my poppy said that it will help keep, my friends, any neighbors, my abuela all healthy. >> they're right. vaccines are available for children 5 years and older and the more people get them the better we could stop the spread of covid and keep everyone healthy. >> and then three weeks later i have to go back to the doctors and get my second shot and kitty, let me show you, this is coming with me to take that shot too. >> good for you, rosita. and godito. you'll be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose. so that means that kids that are getting their first dose today, they should have good protection by mid december. >> you know, my granny bird said that since i'm 6 years old i could get the vaccine. >> oh, yeah, that is right, big bird. >> but, well, i have a lot of questions. like, what is a vaccine? and does it have to be a shot? and will i still need to wear my mask? >> those are such great questions big bird and it turns out lots ofs an faunls have questions too. >> so over the next half hour, we're going to be answering your questions. talking with experts and giving you the information that you need about vaccinations for kids. >> oh, um, you know what, elmo better go change. see you later. come on. it is time for the town hall. yay! ♪ >> welcome to the abc's of covid vaccines, a cnn/sesame street town hall about covid vaccines for children. they're now available for kids ages 5 and up. joining me as always sanjay gupta and sesame street's big bird. >> hi, everyone. >> hello there. >> oh, and -- >> hi everybody. >> hi, gran we bird. >> oh, my goodness. is that dr. sanjay and erica. go ahead and ask your question. >> okay, granny bird. my question is my granny bird said that i might get the vaccine and, well, what is a vaccine? >> well that is a good place to start, right. think about it like this, big bird. your body has a lot of these teeny tiny helpers that are there to protect you. but the vaccine is train those helpers to fight the virus. that way if you ever get covid germs, your body knows just what to do to beat it and that could help you from getting sick. you know, you have been getting vaccines since you were a little bird probably. >> yeah. let's turn to another expert to learn more about vaccines. >> turn, turn. yes, i'm an expert and i am turning. >> super grover. >> yes, dr. sanjay, it is i, super grover. once again here to save the day. >> oh, perfect timing. so you're going to tell us about vaccines, super grover? >> yes. vacuums. oh, i would love to talk about vacuums. sucking up all of those little crumbs with that hosy thingy. >> super grover, no, not vacuums, vaccines. the covid vaccine. >> oh, are you sure you do not want to talk about vacuums? >> no. >> alas, a wealth of vacuum knowledge wasted. have no fear, though. i can still help by fining you a vaccine expert. hello. hello, any vaccine experts around. >> don't worry, soup grover. we do have a real vaccine expert here. please help us welcome dr. acorebit and helps develop a vaccine. hey, doctor. >> hello, hello. >> good to see you. >> we are so excited to have you here. >> it is so nice to see you guys, too. >> we have so many questions, doctor, as i'm sure you could imagine. let's start off our first one, from lucy in california. >> how do the scientists make the vaccine? >> and here we have a sciencist to helped make one of the vaccines. how did you do it? >> well, that is a really good question, lucy. oh, with so much work. but you know, scientists found out over times of years of research that if you put two components together, you could make a really good vaccine. so the first component is just a message. it is a message that goes to your body to tell your body how to make really good response in order for you to fight covid. and the second component is a ball of fat. so you get a message wrapped in a ball of fat and that ball of fat just allows for that vaccine to go into your arm, very safely, to go to the cells that it is supposed to go to, so that we could prevent you from getting covid. >> dr. corbett, we have another question, this one coming from zoey in tennessee. >> can i get the vaccine similar to the flu shot as [ inau [ inaudible ]. >> i common question. does it have to be a shot? >> right now, the vaccine has to be a shot. but don't fret. there are a lot of scientists all over who are working on making a vaccine that you could get like the mist in your nose. but today the vaccine that you will get so that you could be protected by christmastime is a shot into your arm. >> and at good news is it is quick. those shots just barely -- >> it is so quick. >> a lot of kids also want to know why it has to be two shots. sanjay, you have a little demonstration for us. >> yeah. so that they call this the prime and the boost. so figure like this. this umbrella, the first shot is sort of you're prime, you get some protection against getting wet, and then the boost. which gives you stronger, longer and wider protection. so that is the one shot versus two shots. hopefully the shot then, the protection lasts a long time. >> which is always good. we also have our friend ernie from sesame street joining us. hey, ernie? >> what that rubber ducky? someone has a question. >> how do we make sure the right dose is administered to our kids. >> that is such a great question. >> the right dose is based on the color of the vial so the doctor or the pharmacist or the nurse that gives you your vaccine could be sure that you're getting the right vaccine for your age group. >> and then they test obviously different doses to make sure that the right dose makes sense for kids versus adults. we have another question, dr. corbett, this one from asher in new york. >> my question is, how does the vaccine fight the germ? >> love these questions. >> this is a good question. you know, actually it is you and your body that is going to fight t the germs away. the vaccine teaches your body or those little helpers to learn how to fight those germs away. so the vaccine goes in and it basically gives your body a class so that your body could learn how to see the covid-19 germs. >> i love that explanation. i'm learning so much. we also have a question from 5-year-old kinly. >> if the vaccine will soon be here for the -- virus. >> is the vaccine a superhero. you know what, i like to think about it being like you being the superhero. the vaccine is just your training camp for you to become the super hero so you could fight away the virus. >> that is a great way to look at it. dr. corbett, would you like to think of you as one of our superheroes who worked so hard to make these vaccines possible. you are really superheroes. >> thank you so much for having me. and you know what, i am so proud to be called a superhero but i'm even more proud of all of the kids that are going to get their vaccines so they could become superheroes too. >> dr. sanjay, i have some questions, too. >> sure, granny bird. i mean, i know there are lots of parents and guardians with questions around their kids receiving the vaccines. so you know what, here to help us answer them is the surgeon general of the united states, vivek murthy. doctor, thanks for joining us. >> of course, hi, granny bird, how are you? >> oh, my stars. hello, surgeon general. oh, my goodness. i was wondering could you tell me is the covid vaccine safe for my little -- my big bird. i mean, how do we know it is safe? >> well, granny bird, that is a good question. and i'm a parent also and i have a kid that is close to big bird's age so i've been thinking about this too. here is what i would tell you. there are two big questions that we always ask before we let children have a vaccine, one is does the vaccine work? and the second is is it safe? and the good news is that thousands of people have been thinking about this, hundreds of scientists have been looking at the data and they found that this vaccine works to protect our kids against covid. but it is also very safe. the only side effects that they're really seeing have popped up are soreness, in the arm where you get the shot, and some people have had headaches and felt a little tired afterwards. those are the most common side effects. but they only last for a day or two. and what you're left with is protection against the virus. that is what we want for our kids. >> oh, my goodness. well thank you for that. but you know, i've been hearing all this time and i thought that covid-19 didn't make kids that sick. >> you're right, that our kids thankfully do a lot better than older adults when it comes to covid. but we've also seen over the last couple of years that covid has taken a big toll on our children and so we want to do everything we can to protect our children from this virus. even though they are at lower risk than adults, they're still at risk. and this vaccine gives us a chance to make sure that their safe and protected. that is why i'm taking my child to get vaccinated as soon as possible. >> well, that makes me feel better and that is very helpful to know that you are feeling the same way and protecting your little ones. >> and i should add as well, kids could also play a role in passing the virus on to others like siblings and parents and grandparents as well. so getting kids vaccinated, especially as with go into the cooler months here, it is really crucial to protect them as well as the other people in their lives, granny bird. >> well, thank you, dr. sanjay, and thank you, surgeon general murthy for taking the time to talk to me today. you have really helped this granny bird make a decision. >> oh, well so good to hear that, granny bird. you take care and give my best wishes to big bird, too. >> i will. thank you so much. >> it is so great when we could ask our questions. and we really love to help other parents and guardians just like granny bird with their questions. so our first question comes from maddox and mason in texas. >> was the vaccine for kids long enough to determine the long-term side effects? >> so many parents concerned about long-term side effects when the vaccine seems very new. what do we know? >> here is the good news. we know that in the trials that were done to study the vaccine, which are designed for kids with specifically dosage just for children, that what they saw was overall a strong safety profile but they did not see any serious side effects and they followed the children for two months. and why is that important? because a vast majority of side effects from vaccines happen in the first few weeks. now on the other hand, what we do know about the virus is that if our kids are not protected and they get covid-19, that there is a significant risk of them getting seriously ill. we've seen over the last 20 months that millions of children have gotten infected. thousands have ended up in the hospital. thousands have developed something called a multi-system inflammatory condition which involves multiple organ systems being effected including the heart. so we want to protect our kids from the side effects of covid, if you will. and one of the most effective ways to do that is to get our children vaccinated. >> and we also have abby here. >> the letter of the day is q. q is for question. and here is another question. >> if enough people in our school are vaccinated, can we stop wearing masks? >> when can the masks come off? >> that is a good question. i know all of us want to know the answer to that. i certainly do for my kids. i would say that the cdc is still recommending that people wear masks whether they're vacci vaccinated or not in public indoor settings and that would include a place like a school. but they're going to see what happens with cases and make sure the cases come down and they stay down and the more people who get vaccinated, the more likelihood we have of getting cases to come down and stay down. and if that happens, then the cdc may re-evaluate. >> surgeon general thank you for helping us with our kids and good luck with your kids as well. >> always good to see you. >> now it looks like we have a question for elmo. >> for elmo? >> yes. this comes from 6-year-old avery in alaska. >> oh, hi, avery, what is your question? >> will elmo get the covid-19 vaccine? >> that is a great question, avery. but elmo doesn't know. can elmo get the vaccine? >> i think could help with that, elmo. so right now the vaccine is only for children 5 and older. so 3 1/2-year-old monsters and kids like you will have to wait a little bit longer until the new year. but scientists are working hard right now to make sure that you could get the vaccine as soon as possible. >> does that mean that elmo can't play with rosita or big bird? >> oh, no, of course not, elmo. you could still play with your friends but everyone needs to do their part to stay healthy so keep wearing your mask around lots people and make sure you wash your hands regularly. >> elmo will wear his mask and wash his hands before he eats, after he plays outside, and after he goes to the potty. >> that is great, elmo. >> we have a lot more to talk about including what to do if you feel a liscared about getti a covid vaccine. >> and rosita will tell us how your favorite stuffed animal will help. and we'll also answer your questions. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ i had a dream that someday ♪ ♪ i would just fly, fly away ♪ sustainability is essential to creating a better tomorrow. that's why cisco is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2040. and we believe our smart buildings solutions can help. providing power to reduce emissions, intelligence to eliminate waste, and collaboration tools that help the workplace and the planet. between meeting human needs and a sustainable future, there's a bridge. cisco, the bridge to possible. in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away. and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart. if you smell gas, you're too close. leave the structure, call 911, keep people away, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. one of the most important things you can do is to make sure you call 811 before you dig. calling 811 to get your lines marked: it's free, it's easy, we come out and mark your lines, we provide you the information so you will dig safely. big bird. knock knock. >> who is there. >> moy. >> moy who. someone is excited to be back at the town hall. >> that is pretty good, ernie. take it away. >> erica. >> wahoo. >> thanks burt and ernies. you're watching the sesame street special. >> granny bird, question, have you decided if big bird is going to be getting the vaccine? >> yes, i did. i asked my questions and i got my answers. and i've scheduled an appointment for my grandson. we're leaving in a few minutes. now you just get to one last thing before we go to your appointment, big bird. i'll be right back. >> all right. i have one more question. >> sure, big bird, what is that? >> well, i'm a little scared to get the shot because i don't like needles. will it hurt? >> oh, it is okay to be scared and to have some of those big feelings, big bird. could i tell you something, i'm a grown up and i don't like needles either. in fact, even as an adult, i don't like to look when the doctor puts that shot in my arm. >> i'm the same way, too, big bird. >> but you're a doctor. yeah. >> but you know even some doctors don't like getting shots. luckily there are ways that we could manage some of those big feelings. >> you know, one thing that i find is maybe singing a song to distract yourself. maybe the abc's while your getting your shot. >> i like to bring something from home that might feel safe like a favorite toy and i take three big breaths and think about all of the fun things i could do after i get the vaccine. >> oh, you know who else could we ask, big bird. we could ask rosita, she just got her shot. we could ask what she did. >> hi, rosita, did it hurt when you got the vaccine shot. were you scared in. >> i was a little scared by my mommy and my poppy helped me and little godito helped me too. >> is that your lovey? >> si. when i was getting ready for my vaccine, i sat in the chair and i held godito offer my belly and i watched him move in and out on my belly and before i knew it, the shot was over and i had the vaccine, the band aid on my arm. >> really, that was it? >> yep. yeah i barely felt it. yeah. and you know, my arm only hurts a little. >> well, gee, thanks, rosita. that makes me feel a lot better. >> and look what i have here is what we needed for your vaccine shot. >> oh, radar. >> yes, it is time to go big bird. >> good luck, big bird. we're rooting for you. >> you're going to do great big bird. we'll see you when you get back. >> you got this big bird. >> okay, granny bird. >> let's go. >> joining us now to talk about coping with those feelings and our fears are dr. rosemary trullio senior vice president at sesame nonprofit and dr. sanchez a primary care pediatrician at col columbia university irving medical center. it is so good to have you with us. we got so many questions about kids that were worried about getting a shot. take a look. >> will the shot hurt. >> will it hurt? >> is it going to hurt or bleed? >> will it hurt? >> oh, will it hurt. so dr. rosemary, i know you have some great tips for kids who are nervous that it might hurt. >> and we are all nervous or scared. to get your mind off of your arm, right, and don't look at it, maybe you could then focus on whoever is holding your hand and focus on how they're touch and how their comforting you. take those deep belly breaths. and focus your attention maybe on your feet. maybe wiggling your toes. the whole point is we want to get your attention off of the shot and off of your arm. and before you know it, it is all over. and it is only going to hurt just a little bit. >> dr. edith, what is your advice to grown ups about talking to kids about getting the vaccine. >> the first thing i would say is to talk to kids about the vaccine. i can't tell you how many parents bring their kids to my office without telling them they're getting a shot and it shocks them and it is a surprise and it scares them even more. so let's go ahead and make space for the big feelings and talk about this. and be honest, it might feel lick a little pinch and then a little burn. it takes toz breaths and count to five and it will be over but make space for those feelings and those conversation. >> super grover is back. take away. >> it is a bird, it is a meatball sandwich, no, it is someone with i question. >> when i get my shot, do i have to miss school? >> you know, doctor, i think a lot of parents are worried about s sideesques overall. what should parents consider. >> we have to remember that the dose we're giving children is smaller than the dose we're giving adults because we wanted to minimize the side effects. so it is very possible that when you take your kids to get this vaccine, they're not going to have any side effects or if they do their going to be very, very mild. now, you always have the option of giving them an anti-fever medication and anti-pain medication and with that they actually should feel a lot better. should perk right up and by able to go to school. so no, the answer is no, they don't have to miss school and the side effects are going to be mild if at all. which is great news. >> rosemary, we got some interesting questions including this one from oliver in california. >> i'm wore i yd about some of my friends who plan to not be vaccinated. what should i do. what should i say? >> you're very kind friend to be caring about your friends' health. and all families are making different decisions. and your doing your part by being vaccinated. you're protecting yourself and you're protecting your friend and others around you. the most important thing is to continue to be a good friend. and have those play dates but be mindful that your friend isn't vaccinated so wear a mask, make sure your hands are washed and keep a little bit of a safe distance. >> doctors, thank you both so much. it is so great to see both of you this morning and thanks for all of your expertise. >> thank you. >> thank you, guys. >> hey, big bird, how did it go? >> how are you feeling? >> oh, well i feel okay. my wing hurts a little bit but that is okay. you know, i was scared but it did go by really quickly. radar and my belly breathing really helped. and look, i got this sticker from the doctor and i put it on radar's tummy right there. >> oh, you both did great. and by getting the vaccine, you'll be helping keep yourself, friends and neighbors and me safe and healthy. now you're wing my hurt for a day or two, big bird and you might feel a bit tired. but i'm so proud of you. my grandsony. >> i'm proud of you radar. you did great. >> it looks like some other friends just got their first dose of the vaccine too. ♪ >> our abc's of covid vaccines town hall is coming to a close. thank you so much for sending in all of your questions and also thank you to our experts an our friends from sesame street for joining us today. >> i really hope that we answered your questions today. but if you do have more questions about your children receiving the covid-19 vaccine, reach out to your own health care provider. >> hi, everybody. elmo found his new costume. dr. sanjay. >> i think i'm seeing double. >> elmo, i'm so flattered. i got to say, i really love the outfit. >> thank you, doctor. elmo is playing pretent dr. sanjay. >> that is fantastic, elmo. >> from all of us at cnn. >> and sesame street. >> bye-bye. >> elmo loves you. ♪ the sausage got made. i'm michael smerconish if philadelphia. the election shilacking ended with a hume legislative victory. the infrastructure bill passed the house last night and will be signed into law. the president will speak this hour and we'll carry it live. in the end the vote was 228 to 206. that is a sorry of our divided times.